The Care Quality Commission has increased pay for doctors carrying out essential safeguarding visits for mental health patients after a workforce shortage resulted in waiting time targets being missed.

Bed occupancy hits record high, as overall bed numbers across NHS continue to decline
Royal College of Surgeons says data is “exceptionally worrying”
Acute bed numbers have however risen slightly overall on last year
Acute bed occupancy hit a record high in the final quarter of 2016-17, while a

Police launch probe into patient deaths at acute adult inpatient unit
The Essex Police probe is investigating whether there is a criminal case to answer over the deaths of patients at the Linden Centre, now run by Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust
Seven patients have died at the

Senior NHS figures raise concerns that £100m digital fund could be raided
Global digital exemplar money should have been allocated already but has not been released by DH
DH insist trusts will get funding “once business case has been through final approvals process”
Concerns that a high profile

NHS England is closely monitoring staff “capacity and capability” at Huntercombe Hospital in Stafford after damning CQC report
One ward remains closed and two have capped capacity
CQC has completed a follow-up inspection, which the hospital says found improvements
The “capacity and capability” of

Oxford Health FT and Oxford University named second mental health biomedical research centre
Announcement part of £816m investment in medical research by DH
Cash will be split between 20 research centres with Oxford set to receive £12.8m
A foundation trust has been named the country’s second

Patients obliged to sleep on sofas or mattresses because of pressure on services
“Surge beds” used daily - for up to a week at a time
Community learning disabilities services rated ‘outstanding’
Oxleas Foundation Trust, a well regarded mental health and community provider, has been rated as